UN Expects 450,000 Mediterranean Refugees in 2016

GENEVA, Sept 8 (Reuters) – The U.N. refugee agency expects the number of refugees fleeing across the Mediterranean to Europe to hit 400,000 this year and could be 450,000 or more in 2016, it said in a preliminary emergency appeal document published on Tuesday.

“In 2015, UNHCR anticipates that approximately 400,000 new arrivals will seek international protection in Europe via the Mediterranean. In 2016 this number could reach 450,000 or more,” it said, adding that over 366,000 had already arrived in 2015. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Catherine Evans)